Irena Manolova

Irena Manolova, a Bulgarian-born marimba and percussion virtuoso, has established a reputation as a leading artist on the international stage. As a member of the acclaimed marimba duo, Lucid Duo, she has captivated audiences across Europe, Asia, and Latin America with her exceptional musicianship and masterful technique. Through her versatility as a percussionist and ability to perform in a wide range of styles and settings, Irena\’s skills as a guest percussionist have earned her recognition from esteemed orchestras and contemporary music ensembles across Europe. In 2022, she joined the prestigious contemporary music Ensemble XXI. Jahrhundert in Vienna, Austria.

Irena Manolova has taken part in a wide range of festivals and events, some notable examples include European Weeks Festival in Passau 2022, Germany; Festival Wellenklänge 2022 in Lunz am See, Big Band Bang 2022 in Graz, Most und Jazz Fest 2021 in Styria, Wien Modern 2019, Vienna International Saxfest 2014-2016Austria; Nomus Festival 2015 in Novi Sad, Serbia, Bitten-Happening 2012 and the John Cage Celebration 2012 in deSingel, Antwerp, Belgium among others.

Irena Manolova has an impressive list of awards from various solo and chamber music competitions, including the Laureate of Yordan Kamdzhalov’s Foundation in Sofia (2016), Fidelio Chamber Music Competition in Vienna, Austria (2014 & 2015), ARTos Soloist Music prize in Antwerp, Belgium (2013), First Prize Winner Chamber Music of the Universal Marimba Competition in Belgium (2011), Marimba Solo laureate of the International Marimba Competition in Fermo, Italy (2010), and the International Competition Music and Earth in Sofia (2008). Additionally, she has received the award for artistic achievements by the Ministry of Culture in Bulgaria (2005) and the Grand Prix Prize at the Balkan Festival Art Amphora in Sofia (2004). In 2016, Irena was awarded the highly prestigious Start-Stipendium Scholarship by the Federal Chancellery of Austria. This opportunity allowed her to further her studies with the renowned Japanese composer and marimba soloist, Keiko Abe, at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo.

Read More

She has a diverse range of performance experience as a guest member of various orchestras, chamber and contemporary ensembles. Some of the notable groups include the Quasars Ensemble, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Kontrapunkte, Ralph Mothwurf Jazz Orchestra, Neue Oper Wien, Ensemble Reconsil, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra Amsterdam, performing under the baton of renowned conductors such as Marc Albrecht, Edo de Waart, Philippe Herreweghe, and Wayne Marshall.

Irena Manolova has also graced many of the world\’s renowned concert halls and venues, including the Musikverein, Konzerthaus, Vienna State Opera, ORF Radiokulturhaus, Theater an der Wien, MuTh, Belvedere 21; Porgy and Bess in Vienna, Austria; Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam, Philharmonie Haarlem in the Netherlands; the Sonic Arts Research Centre at the Queen´s University Belfast, Northern Ireland; BCV Concert Hall Lausanne in Switzerland; deSingel Antwerp, Stadsschouwburg Leuven, Muziekcentrum De Bijloke Gent in Belgium; Auditorio de Tenerife in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; National Olympics Memorial Hall in Tokyo, Dolce Artists Salon in Osaka, Japan; Koszalin Philharmonic Hall in Poland; Austrian Cultural Forum in Berlin, Germany, Bulgaria Hall in Sofia, Bulgaria etc.

She holds Masters in Marimba and Percussion with the highest distinction from the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, Belgium under the guidance of her teachers Ludwig Albert, Lin Chin-Cheng and Nando Russo. She then went on to specialize with composer and multi-percussion concert artist Nebojša Živkovic, exclusively on his percussion and marimba works at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna in 2014, and performed together with him the Serbian Premiere of his Double Percussion Concerto Obsesiones during the Nomus Festival 2015 in Novi Sad.

Irena is an artist of Yamaha and is endorsed by Innovative Percussion Inc. USA.

Tomasz Goliński

Tomasz Goliński is a highly accomplished Polish composer, marimbist, and percussionist, who is widely recognized as one of the leading composers of his generation on the international marimba and percussion scene.

Tomasz is receiving commissions from various countries around the world, including Austria, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, the USA, Poland, Spain, and Denmark. His versatility as a composer is reflected in the diversity of his commissions which include works for marimba solo/duo/quartet with electronics, marimba and organ, marimba and violin, marimba and saxophone, marimba and flute, solo and duo percussion/marimba concertos with Philharmonic Orchestras, and soundtracks.

Some of his notable works include: Double Percussion Concerto No.1 premiered in 2015 by Tuopali Duo, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife and conducted by Eckart Preu (USA) during the Festival de Música Contemporánea de Tenerife at the Auditorio de Tenerife in Spain; Double Marimba Concerto No.2, premiered in 2017 by Lucid Duo, the Koszalin Philharmonic and conducted by Simone Zuccatti in Poland; Marimba Concertino Luminosity, premiered in 2018 by Mark Ford and the Opole Philharmonic in Poland, commissioned by Mark Ford/University of North Texas; the Italian premiere of Luminosity Concertino, performed in 2019 by Filippo Lattanzi, the Orchestra della Fondazione Petruzzelli and conducted by Luigi Piovano in Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari in Italy; The Principal Delusion and Double Marimba Concerto No. 2 for marimba orchestra premiered in 2019 by Lucid Duo, Phonix Marimba Orchestra and Shiniti Ueno in Tokyo, Japan, and by Lucid Duo & Filarmonica de Marimbas de la UNICACH in Chiapas, Mexico 2019, Concerto for Two Marimbas, Clarinet and Orchestra, premiered in 2023 by Lucid Duo, Tomasz Klepczyński, the Koszalin Philharmonic, under the baton of Łukasz Ksobiraj.

In the year 2021, Tomasz added several significant soundtracks to his impressive portfolio. Among these are Utopia Spheres, written for Linus Leonardsson\’s Autumn/Winter Collection \”Let There Be Light,\” which premiered at the prestigious London Fashion Week. Additionally, he composed Up in the Air for Farshido Larimiam\’s film of the same name, featured in the exhibition \”Alles hängt in der Luft\” at the Theater am Spittelberg in Vienna. Furthermore, he wrote Between the Worlds for Minna Antova\’s thought-provoking exhibition \”SKIN#touching NOLE ME TANGERE\” at the esteemed Haus Wittgenstein in Vienna.